Despite head coach Kyle Shanahan's comments, San Francisco 49ers fans should otherwise be concerned how two of the squad's best players, running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive end Nick Bosa, were both held out of Monday's training camp practice ahead of the Niners' preseason opener this upcoming Thursday.
Shanahan pointed out to reporters how Bosa was dealing with "soreness," prompting the team to hold him out of practice, which McCaffrey was dealing with "tightness" and was subsequently given the day off.
Sure, it doesn't sound like much. But fans may recall how McCaffrey seemed just fine early in camp back in 2024, only to be beset by calf and Achilles injuries that completely thwarted that season's campaign.
And Bosa? He's still working his way back from an ACL tear suffered early last season—his second since joining the Niners as a first-round draftee back in 2019.
Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey missing practice is a cause for concern
Bosa has missed four practices in a row with soreness. And while the defensive end's workout regimen is renowned, there's nevertheless a concern any setbacks could cut into the regular season.
On Saturday, Shanahan was optimistic about Bosa's timeline and not being worried about any serious setbacks:
He was doing great, and then he got sore just going through some of the individual. You wish that didn’t happen, but no, there’s no concern to where something’s happened that is a big setback or anything. We’ll wait until the soreness goes away and evaluate why the soreness has happened, but I still feel pretty good about that.
Still, the fact San Francisco recorded a league-low 20 sacks last season, largely without Bosa in the mix, is worrying if his injury issues linger.
As for McCaffrey, the 49ers appeared to simply give him the day off in light of his tightness. But the 49ers are already thin at running back, as second-year pro Jordan James has fractured ribs, and rookie Kaelon Black is dealing with an adductor injury.
The Niners' depth was tested to the extreme back in 2024, and fans certainly don't want to see yet another year in which the 30-year-old McCaffrey is limited to just a handful of games with so much uncertainty behind them.
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak told reporters the Niners were "just kind of managing him."
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From an optimistic outlook, both Bosa and CMC don't exactly need camp to get themselves prepared for a long and arduous regular season, and San Francisco has little need to push the two hard between now and Week 1.
At the same time, either player being banged up at this stage before even the preseason begins is a development fans don't want to see.
Fingers crossed.
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